If you're reading this article, you may wonder how much time and money you should invest in Instagram. Social media continues to be ever-evolving and ever-changing, so understandably, you want to ensure Instagram is still relevant in 2024.
Well, you can rest assured that it certainly is, and it's a spectacular way to help you grow your business. In 2024, Instagram has 2 billion monthly active users accessing the Instagram app globally.
Plus, Instagram is currently ranked as the 4th most popular social network by number of users. Right ahead of it are Facebook, which has 3.03 billion users; Youtube, which has 2.49 billion; and WhatsApp, which has reached 2 billion users.
As you can see, you can target a huge pool of users with strategised marketing campaigns.
In this article we'll cover:
So, here's the thing:
Yes, Instagram has 2 billion monthly users. However, those users may or may not be relevant to your brand's growth. What you need to analyse is who your target audience is.
For example, if you oversee recruitment marketing for your business and your target audience is between the ages of 18 and 26, then yes, Instagram is probably a great way to reach those people since they are such a big part of Instagram's platforms.
However, if your business sells a product to people in the 55+ age range, you should reconsider. As you can see in the statistics above, that age range is less active on this platform.
So, you would probably be pouring money down the drain by investing in ads to reach your target audience. They simply wouldn't be there.
Each brand and its target audience must be analysed to see if it meets Instagram's user base.
It could be that Instagram is not the best platform for your brand, or it could go completely in the other direction, and Instagram ends up being the most successful for your brand.
So, analyse your target audience well when deciding to invest in Instagram.
Now that you've narrowed down whether Instagram is the right channel for you ( and I'm assuming it is if you're still here reading) let's look into why Instagram is so key to growing your business.
Here are the top 12 reasons to use Instagram:
As a brand, it can sometimes be hard to share what your brand is all about and connect with your customers, this is where Instagram is key to building our brand.
Instagram can help you create and enhance your brand identity through consistent visual content, which lets you showcase your personality and values.
Take Instagrammer Mari Maria as a great example of this in action.
The influencer hosts a following of 22M on Instagram. She recently launched her own cosmetics and hair products brand and curates everything to her signature brand colour, bright orange. Although subtle, every post is curated to her brand colour and tone.
As a platform centred on visual content, Instagram allows you to showcase your products and services in a visually appealing manner, which is particularly beneficial for industries like fashion, food, and beauty.
OPI is a nail polish brand that really embraces Instagram's visual aspect.
Through eye-catching reels and videos, the brand successfully shares its products and manicures' final outcomes, motivating its target audience to use and purchase its products.
Instagram typically has higher engagement rates than other social media platforms. On Instagram, you can interact directly with your audience through comments, likes, and stories.
Wendys is a brand that absolutely rocks engagement.
The brand invests in community management by being active in comments, replies, and tagging others. Wendys' brand voice is known for "roasting" others, and they have garnered quite the following through this unique and highly effective strategy.
With over a billion active users, Instagram provides a vast audience base that businesses can tap into. It's an excellent platform for reaching new and diverse customer groups.
Nike is a brand with a strong Instagram following.
In 2024, the brand has more than 305M followers and continues to grow yearly. Once you find your target audience on the platform, you can niche market directly toward them and grow your brand.
Instagram's integration with Facebook's advertising platform allows you to use advanced targeting options to reach specific demographics, interests, and behaviours.
Plus, you can really get creative in how you target people. For example, suppose you want to go beyond targeting by age. In that case, you can target users with interests similar to your field.
For example, if you are a brand that sells curated meal plans, you could target your ads to people who are interested in fitness, bodybuilding, or even parenthood.
Additionally, suppose you want to get a little crafty. In that case, you can also target users interested in your competitor's products or brand and showcase your brand.
Instagram offers tools that provide insights into your follower demographics, content performance, and engagement metrics, enabling you to make better strategic decisions.
Without these analytics, it can be hard to adjust your strategy if you aren't sure where it is effective.
So, take a deep dive into Instagram's insights and analytics and see where you can boost or modify things to best fit your strategy.
If a stranger told you that food was really yummy, you probably wouldn't believe them. However, if someone you knew or trusted recommended their favourite food brand, you might be inclined to try it out.
That's exactly how influencer collaborations work and why they are important to your brand.
The platform is known for its strong influencer community. So, you can partner with influencers to gain credibility and reach broader audiences.
The popular Instagrammer from The Broke Generation is a great example of influencer collaboration.
The Broke Generation hosts a following of almost 90k, and the influencer partnered with Every Plate for affiliate marketing.
She shared her experience and reviews, and when her followers signed up for Every Plate, she was compensated through a kickback. A win-win situation for both parties.
Instagram supports various types of content, including photos, videos, stories, reels, and live broadcasts, which allows you to keep your content fresh and engaging.
So, this is a great opportunity for you to recycle content.
If you have a reel you created, post a short clip as a story or use the reel creation time to snap a few top-notch photos. Instead of just one method, you have used three different methods to get the word out on Instagram.
The great part is that with Instagram's insights and analytics, you can see which version of your content resonates best with your brand. That way, you can learn how to best invest your time in content creation.
Sendible's content libraries feature is a great way to pull from a library full of inspiration. You can store ideas, frequently used hashtags, organise content by tags and pair this with integrations like Canva to pull images in as well.
Instagram has integrated shopping features, like shoppable posts and Instagram Checkout, which make it easier for users to shop directly from the app.
Check out how the brand CupShe uses Instagram's features. On almost every post, it encourages users to check out the link in their bio.
The links are shortened bitly links that connect users to their website where they can shop.
Although there are several methods that e-commerce can be used, this is also a simple and effective strategy.
As a business brand, you can build a community around your brand by engaging with followers, responding to comments, and participating in or starting conversations.
Your posts don't need to just be informational or linked to content. Rather, you can be creative in engaging users and encouraging them to talk with your brand.
Check out the awesome example of an engaging post from Colour Pop Cosmetics.
The brand posted two photos and asked users which one they would wear to a music festival.
By giving users something to talk about, the brand opened the door to comments, which increased engagement and boosted the post to the top of many users' Instagram feeds.
Since Instagram is designed primarily for mobile use, it aligns well with the increasing trend of consumers using mobile devices for shopping and browsing.
Studies show that the most common way people view social media is on their phones, so it's important to create content that is optimised for mobile.
When creating content for your brand's Instagram account, stick to vertical videos for short-form content and be aware of the best sizes for photos and stories on the Instagram platform.
Starting and maintaining an Instagram account is free; even paid promotions are relatively cost-effective compared to other marketing channels.
Creating a marketing strategy using Instagram does not necessarily mean you need to invest exorbitant amounts of money. In fact, a little bit goes a long way regarding marketing on Instagram.
Creating content for your Instagram strategy is no easy task. That's why it's essential to have some tools to help you out. Our Sendible Instagram scheduling tool is an excellent option.
With our Instagram scheduling tool, you can schedule and share diverse content at optimal times, use the right hashtags, and manage your community effortlessly.
We offer several content creation options, including 365+ holiday posts and handy integrations.
Plus, you can schedule Instagram posts to auto-publish on your business profiles.
With our scheduling tool, you can publish single posts, Stories, Reels, and image carousel posts to Instagram Creator and Business profiles at the optimal time with the right hashtags. Our Instagram scheduler lets you auto-publish or send a reminder at an optimal time!
Unlike Meta's general data suggestion, our optimal time considers all the social network profiles added under that user account that can have reports created.
It is based on your posting history over the previous 30 days and when your posts got the most engagement. So you can be certain that your post is going out at a great time for your brand.
Our Sendible Instagram scheduling tool offers these features and many more to make implementing your Instagram strategy easy and effortless.
Depending on your brand's goal, you need to consider different strategies when marketing on Instagram.
Let's look at two very different examples and how they would play out in an Instagram strategy.
To effectively market organic soap on Instagram, ensure you have a clear brand persona emphasising a clean, natural aesthetic and a warm, approachable tone.
Optimise your Instagram profile with a recognisable logo, a concise bio highlighting your soap's uniqueness, and a direct link to your purchase page.
Your content strategy should include regular posts showcasing your soap varieties, behind-the-scenes glimpses of the soap-making process, educational content about the benefits of organic products, customer testimonials, and lifestyle content that aligns with wellness and sustainability.
Engage actively with your audience through interactive stories, responding to comments, and using strategic hashtags to broaden your reach.
Set up an Instagram Shop to make direct purchases a breeze and tag your products in posts to enhance shopping convenience.
Maintain a consistent posting schedule with a content calendar and adapt your strategy based on performance metrics.
By combining visual appeal with interactive and educational content, you can build a strong community around your brand and drive sales effectively on Instagram.
To increase applications for a specific job posting using Instagram, start by crafting a targeted strategy showcasing the job's unique aspects and company culture.
Your Instagram profile should have a clear, professional bio with a direct call to action and a link to the job application page.
You can find content highlighting the benefits of working at your company, such as employee testimonials, day-in-the-life videos, posts showcasing company benefits, workplace environment, and team events.
Tap into Instagram Stories and Reels to provide a dynamic look at the company's daily operations and to share quick, engaging announcements about job openings.
Run targeted ads aimed at the demographic most likely to be qualified for the position, leveraging Instagram's detailed targeting tools to refine your audience.
Regularly analyse the performance of your posts and ads to understand what content drives the most engagement and applications.
By presenting a compelling picture of what it's like to work at your company and actively engaging with potential applicants, you can effectively use Instagram to attract more candidates to apply.
You can strategise your Instagram content in many different ways to grow your brand. Once you establish your goals, set a strategy that works for your brand.
Yes, this may initially seem intimidating, but don't worry. If something isn't working well, you can always adjust it and make improvements as needed.
That's why keeping an eye on analytics is so important.
So, armed with the knowledge from this article, prepare a killer strategy to boost your brand's Instagram account to new heights of success.
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